World Congress „Healthy Breasts” – for the first time in Poland

World Congress \”Healthy Breasts\” – for the first time in Poland

For the first time in Poland, the World Congress \”Healthy Breasts\” (19th SIS World Congress on Breast Healthcare) will take place this May. We ask prof. Tadeusz Pieńkowski for details about this exceptional event.

– The congress is organized by the International Senologic Society in cooperation with the Polish Breast Cancer Research Society. It is a meeting of specialists from around the world who focus on diagnosing and treating breast diseases, mostly breast cancer. The congress topics will mainly cover breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, the lives of patients undergoing treatment, issues related to patients returning to normal life activities, all aspects of psychological and physical rehabilitation, and combating problems of stigmatization and exclusion. This is important because treatment conditions have improved enough, including in Poland, that a woman who unfortunately develops breast cancer now has a chance to live a very long time, even several decades after diagnosis. It is crucial that from the moment of diagnosis, the woman experiences minimal disruption from the cancer and that her life limitations are minimized, and that treatment is tailored to achieve the maximum effect with the least possible burden. That is, to limit everything possible without reducing treatment effectiveness, to achieve an additional therapeutic effect by optimally combining known methods, and to always have hope that new treatment options, drugs, and technologies will emerge to improve patients\’ outcomes, as extensive research efforts in oncology lead to such developments. This is not a false hope that things will change in a year or two, because they certainly will, and new technologies will arise. The International Senologic Society aims to create opportunities for all women worldwide to receive optimal treatment in accredited breast cancer diagnostic and treatment centers and to ensure access to technology, medications, and medical knowledge at the highest level. This is an ambitious and challenging task because the Society includes countries with very different socio-economic development levels, including European countries as well as those from Asia and South America. The accreditation program for Breast Cancer Units developed by the Society is designed equally for all, regardless of their level of civilizational development, and is not merely about confirming the quality of equipment, personnel, and adherence to procedures, but also serves as an educational pathway so that hospitals or organizations joining the program can achieve accreditation in stages. There are possibilities for partial, conditional, or deferred accreditation to encourage further accreditation efforts. We already have centers in Brazil and Costa Rica – countries with very different medical challenges than Poland. Fortunately, Poland has two such centers. Fortunately, because before they were established, they faced many difficulties obtaining accreditation. I hope there will be more such centers. This will be the second leading topic of the Congress. The third will be professional development, treatment technologies including reconstructive and oncoplastic procedures, aiming to minimize scarring after cancer.

Which countries\’ experiences will be presented during the Congress?

International research groups composed of scientists from various countries will be represented. European countries will dominate. We will also have speakers from the United States, South America, and Israel. There will be a course related to systemic treatment, reconstructive and restorative procedures concerning clinical oncology. I invite everyone to participate in this Conference. Necessary information is available on the website.